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Hello from Pataskala Ohio

Hello, also from Licking Co. Ohio!
New to the bees this year, enjoying this hobby immensely. Rarely do I say hello to the fam. before I say hello to the girls when I get home from work.
But, I fear for my girls: my italian queen is still laying her behind off, little in the way of stores, it's September, what to do?

Re: Hello from Pataskala Ohio

Well, it is an odd year, but September is normally the time I start to feed hives that are short on stores. That way they have a full six weeks or so to cure the necture (in this case syrup) into honey stores. This year saw rain during most of the major spring flow so most of us didn't get any serious honey to extract and the bees were grounded just about every third day during the summer months, so things are light in most hives. When you start feeding, since it has been a light year, think about reducing the enterance to assist the hives in resisting robbers, who should be pretty aggressive this year.

Re: Hello from Pataskala Ohio

Gee whiz, drinking almost a gallon of syrup a day! That hive is ROARING on the inside. Watched for a while this aft, did not see any obvious robbing. Have the entrance narrowed down. Happy hour& ladies night, rolled into one. Hope this is headed in the right direction!

Re: Hello from Pataskala Ohio

The roar is from the bees fanning inside the hive to drive off excess moisture and concentrate the syrup into "honey". It takes them some time to get this done. Since time is short in the Fall, that's why you feed 2:1, it has less water for them to have to deal with evaporating. In the Spring, 1:1 is fine because they generally are using that as immediate food, not for long tern storage.
Good signs! Enjoy BEETV.